One of the most amazing facts to appear at the time of writing this concerns Mary, Levi and her doggy Dancing partner Richard, On Youtube there are 88,.000 video’s tagged as Crufts 2014, The routine they performed at Crufts is No1 by view numbers with 600,000 views and……  there are 237,000 video’s tagged as just “Crufts” and the routine is n No 2 by popularity beaten by a video of a dog having a poo in the main ring, this fact has even surprised the Crufts TV company who filmed it.

It is a fact that it was a brilliant routine with a brilliant dog that has caught the imagination of people throughout the world. 

The first weekend in July we travelled up to Stockport on the Saturday for Chadkirk Champ Show, the drive into the venue is through a narrow overhanging tree lined track and anyway is not allowed so we could could not take the camper and did we miss it, not a good day as far as places were concerned !!, we travelled back home picked Mary’s sister Pauline up ( she had been working) swopped to the camper and drove straight to Cippenham show, its good stopping the night before as we are out of practice at getting up early and driving to a show, Levi broke his sit stay before he worked the ticket so that was a bit of a downer but he redeemed himself by winning open C ,nice show and parked not far from the rings which is good for Mary as I suppose everyone know she has a touch of arthritis in the knee’s.

 Mary recently has been taking her week’s course at Daventry which is probably the sixth or seventh year that she’s been there.  We should call it a ‘holiday training break’ as it has become more like a little club with the majority of the handlers on the course being regulars.  It’s a great atmosphere and they always enjoy their annual training fix.  It’s held at Kath Dark’s farm and the opening weekend was greeted with superb weather, the outdoor obedience training ring looked a little like Wimbledon grass – beautiful, with all the caravans parked round it.  Then in a separate paddock next door is a small agility course then of course we have the indoor training hall. Hence, it’s a great spot to have a training course, made even better over the last couple of years with the establishment of a rural enterprises business on site and we also have good professional catering providing, home cooked, home grown food – lovely jubbly! This year I did BBQ on one evening and down the pub on another evening so a pretty full week for everyone. Morning were obedience training, afternoons the handlers had a choice of Trick/HTM training or Agility, we were pleased to welcome Leslie Wilks to the camp and she helped with all the agility training. It was great week no doubt helped by the weather, as always this year’s handlers will have the first invitations but  we already have a waiting list for next year so be quick if you want to be invited  to take any vacancies that occur. 

The previous weekend to the course it was Newmarket.  We didn’t camp this year as the camping area  is a little too far away from the rings so we just attended Championship day when Mary got a couple of places.

 The weekend prior to that was St Mary’s, again we just did the Championship day as there is no on-site camping and it’s just too difficult to go onto an off-site camp site – lovely show and they do their own catering as well.  We had a little rain prior to the show but fortunately it had dried out a lot so there was a great working surface and a really friendly committee who run the show and make you feel most welcome.  It seems to be a lucky show for Mary as well, and once more she got herself a Ticket win with Levi .

The last weekend in May we decided to have q quiet weekend.  Mary had a demonstration at Stoneleigh for Dogs for the Disabled on the Saturday and I was asked to provide some commentary for an agility demonstration by the disabled handlers.  This year, for the first time, it was opened up  more widely to the general public instead of just the charity’s supporters.  It is a truly inspiring even t and it’s great to see folks who are less fortunate than most of us but who are able to actually do something with their dogs and have such a terrific relationship with them.  There were lots of people there and it was the most successful event they have had so far.

The weekend prior to this was our annual trip to the Waldridge Fell show.  We love the area and like the show, it’s just a shame that this year there was a problem with the booking at the previous venue in that the local council had double-booked it.  Fiona and her team did their best with a replacement venue, the area for the rings was superb and day parking was extremely close to the ring area but unfortunately the camping area was an 8-10 minute walk away or you could drive to the show area for the day via a rather rutted lane.  The other problem that was out of their control was the amount of rain that we had during late May which meant that the entrance to the camping field was, shall we say, far from good for driving over and I think the four-wheel drives were kept rather busy. 

We were lucky because with Fiona knowing that we had a rather large camper, she informed us some weeks before that she would allow us to park at the top of the day parking area adjacent to the show field.  We didn’t ask and it was lovely of her to let us park there but I’m afraid that it may not have made us very popular with the campers parked a little further away!  Mary had a great weekend with the dogs and it is a little like a mini holiday at Waldridge Fell with the show being over three days, so I think this is one of her favourites.  So that may have had an effect on how relaxed you are when working your dog, I don’t know but a ticket and Open C wins and a win in Novice for Cruz,  Having won the ticket with Levi for the third year running Mary had a run off for the overall winner trophy with the Bitch winner, which she won again in front of a large audience, it’s a great idea for any show as an end to the day, in this particular instance the trophy presented is in memory of Sur Potter, a skilled and knowledgeable Waldridge Fell  member, top competitor and judge.

We as usual had the trailer and………..  I have little moped and took it with to the show which meant I could go to the shops and have a little tour round , we could have gone to the pub for a meal, BUT, Mary having turned down the chance to get a he crash helmet that was a no, I think she will get one now though !!

The weekend prior to this was another regular for Mary with Loughborough Show – a good venue and not too far to travel.  I have a full outdoor pa set so I loaned that to Loughborough and they allowed us to park in our usual spot just in front of the clubhouse.  And a good weekend for Mary, competition-wise as well  with a ticket and Open C wins, the last few years we have been working at the London Pet Show in May but this year the dates clashed so Loughborough was the winner !!

The second weekend in May was Wirral Show and again another regular, welcome show and yet again they used my outdoor pa set.  That weekend it was pretty windy but I managed to park the motor home so the wind was to the back of it, so managed to have the awning out and again Mary had a pretty successful weekend as most folks will probably know, there was a minor disaster on the Sunday morning of the show when the wind blew down a tree during the night blocking the entrance to ground.  The local council’s emergency team was on the ball and although a queue built up in the morning with people waiting for access to the grounds, they cleared it up before judging started.  We did discover a very popular catering operation there which we had never used before which was Mr Roastie, who made a wonderful fresh roast meat dinner in a giant Yorkshire pudding and home-made fruit crumble and custard – lovely! Another one of our favourite shows not influenced by the food of course !!

The first Sunday in May, as usual, was our very own Rugby Dog Training Club Championship Obedience Show.  We were blessed with great weather and have a great venue and we’re one of the very lucky clubs who have a wonderful loyal membership who turn out every year to help us run this big show.  And, as usual, it ran faultlessly.  It’s always difficult for Mary to concentrate on working the dogs but nonetheless she got places with Foxy & Levi. Another good show for Rugby and we are so fortunate to have the use of the club facilities to ourselves just a shame that the bar id virtually unused on the Saturday by campers.

During the last week in April, Mary held an evening for John Gilbert at his Faldo Training Club.  This was more or less limited to John’s members, of which he has a lot.  We have known John and his partner Jackie for over thirty years and we have always viewed him as being a very good friend.  And,  of course, if you read the history of Heelwork to Music you  may recognise the name as it was John who actually encouraged Mary to do her first ever evening in 1990 when she thought she was too shy to talk to an audience (those were the days!)  What John did back in 1990 was to set the evening up so that he was more or less a Michael Parkinson and interviewed Mary in front of an audience of 100 plus, in tiered seating.  Between themselves seated in their chairs and the audience, there was a working area.  Before we went, he asked Mary to put together a pattern of heelwork for both Roxy and Toddy and gave her the exact time that the pattern of heelwork needed to be.  Well, the rest is history really – the music used was eye of the Tiger and take your breath away, Mary performed some stunning heelwork to music with both dogs.  And that’s where the name Heelwork to Music came from and the audience went away saying that they had seen Mary Ray performing Heelwork to Music.  It was at this evening and a subsequent one in 1992, in the audience was Bill Hardaway of the Kennel Club who happened to be on the Crufts Committee and that is how HTM got into Crufts initially as well.  It was only when it got to Crufts that Mary decided maybe she should put a little choreography to it.

Anyway, it was a great night as the atmosphere was tremendous,  Mary was on form and extremely amusing and so were the dogs.  Everyone who attended the evening had a cupcake with a Mary Ray logo on top of everyone which was edible!  I’m sure that at some time in the future we will be back at the Faldo Club again.

Over the Easter Weekend we were once again camped out at the Midland Border Collie Show and another show with a new venue.  I think perhaps the ring surface in places was not ideal and Sheila and her team did their best in getting a new venue for the show as those attending previously can testify to, this was a better venue than the previous one, that being supposedly a show field which appeared to be undrained and susceptible to mud and towing and with an entrance shared by military equipment enthusiasts including tanks, need I say more …  Hence, it was lovely to go to a venue at the time of year when we do get rain when it was well-drained and dryish.

The first weekend in April we were in Haxey with Angela and Mike White, where Mary took a weekend at their training centre.  Most enjoyable, a lovely place to camp, a great training centre with a fully-carpeted hall and all the facilities on site – what more could one ask for? Next year it will be a midweek break so check the diary page to book early.

We still support and attend Rugby DTC every week with Mary taking her turn on the trainers rota,  we had a new member join who happened to have her own vehicle decal business and we just happened to have decided to support “ Pet Munchies” which are Marys favourite commercial treat and I needed to have a couple of decals done for the trailer to go with the Arden Grange logo so I could not resist matching it to the Motorhome.

The big story for Mary was me spending my pension lump sum on the back garden, grrrrrrrrrr, there were so many people winding her up on Facebook I had no choice, BUT, I have to admit it looks stunning and its just big enough for her to do some training on it as it’s a little bigger than our lounge, the guys that did it were fairly local and they worked their socks off in some terrible rain to get it completed to schedule, we would recommend “ Greatest Scapes” from Leamington. I had better mention that it looks bigger in the photo that it actually is !!!

Mary’s results so far this year

2014 OB. CH. RED HOT FOXY MUSIC ( Foxy ) BITCHES
Date	Show	Judge	Place	Class
13th April	BAGSD	Charles Allcock	4th	Open C
18th April	BC Club	Katy Girdler	1st	Open C
4th May	Rugby	Roger Gunby	2nd	Champ C
10th May	Wirrel	Lou Jackson	4th	Champ C
11th May	Wirrel	Jess Lewis	3rd	Open C
24th May	Waldridge		4th	Open C
25th May	Waldridge	Fran Herron	4th	Champ C
26th May	Waldridge	Alison Gresty	2nd	Open C
28th May	NATS	Janet Oliver	2nd	Champ C
2014 OB. CH COLLIEWOOD BLUE JEANS ( Levi )  DOGS
Date	Show	Judge	Place	Class
12th April	Oxhey	Ron Mills	1st	Open C
18th April	BC Club	Darren Wallace	1st	Open C
19th April	Midlands BC	Richard Burbage	1st	Open C
20th April	Midlands BC	Russel Beque	1st	Open C
4th May	Rugby	Debbie Back	3rd	Champ C
10th May	Wirrel	Pat Wilson	1st	Open C
10th May	Wirrel	Andrea Little	2nd	Champ C
11th May	Wirrel	Sheila Taylor	1st	Open C
17th May	Loughborough	Phill Barnes	1st	Open C
18th May	Loughborough	Maureen Allcock	1st	Open C
18th May	Loughborough	Janel Fone	1st	Champ C
24th May	Waldridge	Derek Orr	1st	Open C
25th May	Waldridge	Elaine Weelands	1st	Champ C
25th May	Waldridge	Peter Height	1st	Open C
8th June	St Mary's	Eileen Lyons	1st	Champ C
14th June	Newmarket	Audrey Johnson	4th	Open C
14th June	Newmarket	Dave Gillett	4th	Champ C
28th June	NATS	Kath Mangan	4th	Open C
28th June	NATS	Herbie Watson	1st	Champ C
6th July	Cippenham	Heather Sheppard	1st	Open C
2014 OBAY CAUGHT RED HANDED ( Ozzie )
Date	Show	Judge	Place	Class
24th May	Waldridge	Mavis Mills	4th	Open C
26th May	Waldridge	Karmel Fernandez	3th	Open C
2014 VALGRAYS CHEEKIE GIRL ( Lexi )
Date	Show	Judge	Place	Class
28th June	NATS	Ken Boulton	4th	Open C
2014 WAGGERLAND CRUZ CONTROL ( Cruz)
Date	Show	Judge	Place	Class
26th May	Waldridge	Julie Holmes	1st	Novice